Relapse
by Maetch
Summary: Just because the butterfly is gone doesn't mean one is off the hook with Hawk Moth. Emotions are a powerful force, after all. (AU Season 2)
1. Special Ladyblog Editorial

So, in case you haven't heard (and I can't imagine anybody not hearing since it was blaring all over the news), the airport recently had a little issue regarding Stormy Weather on the runways. Chloé pulled her political "I'm the Mayor's brat" card to score the last seat on the flight to Naples for Spring Break, and it set Aurore off since she was supposed to get that seat. She figured that if she couldn't go on her flight, no one would, and soon she was putting on her mask and hitting Charles de Gaulle with the mother of all blizzards. Ladybug and Chat Noir were quick to show up and end Stormy's rampage, much to everybody's relief, but that's not what I penned this editorial for.

As you likely know by now, lately there's been an increasing trend among previous akuma victims to relapse and go into their transformed states. I don't need to remind you about Princess Fragrance's attempt to ruin the school flower expo because Chloé ruined her arrangement, or Mr. Pigeon snapping at seeing kids feed pop-rocks to the birds. This is more than just a case of black butterflies cursing people. Hawk Moth is hitting people right in their deepest thoughts and desires. Promising them all the power and freedom to do as they please and asking for nothing more than a couple of trinkets taken from Ladybug and Chat Noir in return. I mean, who's going to say no to an offer like that? Didn't we all dream of having superpowers at one point in our lives? If you ask me, Hawk Moth is more of a salesman than a supervillain, pitching you powers and preying on your emotions in hopes that you'll take the offer. Even I wasn't able to resist.

You've all read my well-publicized editorial "My Life as a Teenage Akuma", so you no doubt know what it was like for me. I want to know who Ladybug is above all else, but as Lady Wi-Fi, I was driven to do things that I would never have agreed to had Hawk Moth not egged me on. Since then, I kept telling myself that it wouldn't happen again and that the akuma was gone, yet I had a suspicion that something wasn't right with me anymore, like there was something gnawing away at my soul. And when Puppeteer took over my body and I relapsed, it confirmed my suspicion. Whatever he did to us with those butterflies, its eggs (for lack of a better term) are still in us, feeding on our emotions like parasites until they're strong enough to re-establish their power over us. Even I still feel it on occasion. That dark and burning desire to command and control others, tempting me to let go and give in. I force myself to ignore it, tell myself that I'll get what I want in life without Hawk Moth's help. And it works... so far.

But then I see others succumb over and over again. No matter how many times Ladybug removes the akuma butterfly, it's only a temporary fix at best. People are emotional beings, after all, and none moreso than teenagers. Collège François Dupont is pretty much a breeding ground for Akuma, and it doesn't help that many of them are my friends and classmates. It's to the point where some of them are actually choosing to stay as Akuma, thinking that it's the answer to all their failings in life when the truth is that they're only thinking what Hawk Moth wants them to think. Following him will only lead them down the road to self-destruction, and the worst part is that none of them are able to see it.

We're all marked, us Akuma. We may not wear the costumes or wield the powers, but our other selves still dwell in our souls, waiting for us to fall back into darkness so they can emerge again. And now it looks like more and more of us are choosing to embrace the dark rather than fight it. I'll still fight it, of course, but I fear for and pity everybody else who has their own inner self to contend with. If any of you are reading this, I implore you to stay strong and not let our emotions drive us into his hands. Fear and despair is how Hawk Moth will win. For Ladybug, for Paris, and for the world, we need to fight the greatest enemy of all... ourselves.

Stay Miraculous, my friends! And stay connected!  
~Alya Césaire

* * *

 _Just a short thing that I wanted to write after studying up on the series. I may do more if the right motivation hits, unless Season 2 comes out and takes a hammer to my idea for how the Akuma concept works._

 _Miraculous (C) ZAG_


	2. Time Broken

Faster... faster...

Alix Kubdel gritted her teeth as she rollerbladed around the block. Leaning into the corners, bowing into the straightaways, she did everything she could think of to reduce drag and boost her speed. Finally, she stopped skating and sat down on a step to check her stopwatch. "Still not fast enough," she grunted as she read the result. Starting the stopwatch again, Alix began to skate another lap.

Try as she might, there was no escaping the situation she was in, and she only had herself to blame. In her anger for letting her father's antique watch get broken, she agreed to Hawk Moth's deal and got akumatized. She was defeated by Ladybug, of course, but once the memories of her first rampage started coming back, she found herself traumatized when she saw what she had done as Timebreaker. Draining people of their energy on a touch, knocking them out-of-sync with the flow of time, knowing that she was essentially killing them. And the way she tricked Rose by preying on her sympathy... it was too much to bear for someone so young.

It took nearly two weeks before she was able to bring herself to touch others again, and nearly three months before it seemed like she was finally getting herself back in order. But then Alix realized that Timebreaker wasn't out of her life. Whenever she felt her emotions getting strong, like when someone was pushing her competitive streak too hard, it would cause a stir in her body that (unsurprisingly) felt like butterfly wings flapping. Usually when these moments hit, Alix would excuse herself and find a private spot to get her emotions under control. Of course, sometimes this simply wasn't possible and so Timebreaker returned to enact some payback on whomever was grinding her gears. And once she was awake, it was hard to stay in control of herself as anger and obsession overrode her common sense. It was like trying to steer an out-of-control truck.

At the very least, once the relapses started up, Alix was able to choose whether or not to de-sync someone on a touch, so she no longer had to fear it happening uncontrollably. However, the nature of her powers still demanded energy to function, and the only way to get it was from de-syncing other people. Alix would try to use her enhanced athleticism and super-speed first, but it would only go so far. She had once tried to de-sync small animals like birds or squirrels for energy, but the gain was almost nothing. In the end, she would have no choice but to de-sync people, silently regretting it at first but then losing herself more and more to the rush of power it granted her until she was erasing people left and right. And every touch allowed her to break the boundaries of reality further as she teleported through time, brought copies of herself from the past or future to overwhelm enemies, even accelerate herself to the point that everything was slowed or frozen around her.

Completing another lap around the block, Alix checked her stopwatch again and allowed a small smile. She managed to take a full second off her record. But it still wasn't enough. Again, she skated, pushing her mind and body as far as she could. Faster... faster...

No matter how much she apologized and how much Ladybug undid the damage, she knew it didn't excuse what she was doing. There was no debate in her mind: Alix wanted Timebreaker gone. She had tried several times to get Hawk Moth to take her powers away for good, but he would always laugh and say that until the terms of their deal were met in full (i.e. capturing Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses), they were non-refundable. She couldn't refuse to fight, either. The man was able to induce terrible pain in her body or even control her like a puppet if she tried to defy him. Alya was right when she compared him to a salesman... he was all about the fine print. So she would skate into battle time and again, deciding that if this was to be her fate, she would at least see to it that she wins.

Because if there was one thing Alix Kubdel hated, it was not giving her all. It was how she justified every de-sync, every time-twist, every single fight with Ladybug. Just because she hated what she had become didn't mean she was going to let herself lose. She had too much pride as an athlete to accept second-best.

Faster... faster... Alix was burning with fury at this point, the fury of her need for speed. The darkness in her was hitting fever-pitch. A little more of a push and she could potentially relapse, become Timebreaker when SHE wanted to instead of when Hawk Moth wanted. She could be the one in control... but she instead stopped skating and sat down to catch her breath.

Taking off her rollerblades and putting her sneakers back on, Alix let her emotional high fade, and the darkness with it. She had no desire to rush. After all, time was now her ally.

* * *

 _I decided to go a little further into my relapse idea, so I may do this with the other Akuma whenever I get the perfect idea for it. And this will be taking some liberties with the canon, without a doubt._

 _Miraculous (C) ZAG_


	3. Weather Girl

"Mmmmph... not a single tremor of misery anywhere," Hawk Moth grumbled from within his chamber. "This will not do, not at all. It's like Paris is actually trying to defy me... but there's always one I can rely on to liven things up." The villain smirked as he activated his empathic link. "Stormy Weather, do you hear me? I'm summoning you back to battle."

 _"Shaddup! I'm enjoying myself."_

"You know the deal! Hold up your end of it or-"

 _"Or what? Take my powers back? Buddy, you know as well as anybody that when you try to fight the weather, you get blown away. Listen, I'll get you your fancy jewelry, but on MY time!"_

"I'm starting to think you were a mistake. Too powerful... too arrogant." Hawk Moth rubbed the bridge of his nose through his mask out of frustration. "At the very least, go cause some property damage and draw them out."

* * *

Stormy Weather, formerly Aurore Beauréal, snorted and reclined in her cloudy chair from 30,000 meters above Paris (exactly how she was able to make it solid enough to sit in, she had no idea and no intention to question it). Why did she care about such petty mortal matters? She was a weather goddess, or something pretty close to it. Compared to this, Mireille could keep her so-called victory.

After the initial shock from being depowered wore off, the memories of Aurore's first transformation had slowly come back to her. She remembered her initial anger at losing the big TV weather-girl contest to Mireille, anger that brought her to Hawk Moth's attention and made her quite possibly the most powerful Akuma in his ranks. The strength of Mother Nature at her command, the sheer power at her fingertips. No longer was she content with just predicting the weather, but making it obey her every whim. And she soon learned that Stormy Weather was not gone. She merely went to sleep inside her soul, waiting for the moment when Aurore's arrogance and temper got her other self stirring again. And it didn't usually take long.

The school guidance counselor did her best to tell Aurore not to let her emotions control her, a speech that she was using time and again as more and more students struggled with the mental aftermath of Hawk Moth's presence. At first she tried to return to a life of normalcy, but the power would always lure her back and revive Stormy. Eventually, it just got to the point where she simply stopped trying to fight her other self when the urge arose. Nowadays, Stormy Weather outright refused to associate herself with the person she was. Aurore Beauréal was weak. Insignificant. Pathetic. Her place was here in the sky, where she was free to rule over the masses. No parents, no teachers, and...

 _"Get the Ladybug already!"_ Hawk Moth suddenly snapped in her head. _"Don't make me assume direct control."_

"Yes... master." With a sigh, Stormy got off her cloud and opened her parasol, letting herself drift down towards the surface slowly as an act of defiance to her impatient master. "Master" in only the barest sense of respect. Stormy cared nothing about the mystery man and his butterflies, showed no interest towards the Miraculous beyond her obligation to capture them, and enjoyed driving Hawk Moth nuts over it. He would gripe and moan and threaten to strip her powers away, but Stormy saw through the bluffs. She was one of Hawk Moth's strongest warriors, something that he didn't expect to get when he created her. An asset like her would likely never show up again, and so he grudgingly put up with her attitude.

At the very least, Stormy's motivation to destroy Ladybug and her fellow Miracles ensured that one way or another, Hawk Moth would get what he wanted. Stormy hated how that spotted freak would come along whenever she was enjoying herself, say some sappy speech about not letting Hawk Moth control her, and try to turn her back into weak, pathetic Aurore. As the thought of tearing her apart with galeforce winds crossed her mind, Stormy accelerated her descent and soon the Paris skyline was in view below her feet.

"Today's forecast..." she told herself, "100% chance of catastrophe."

* * *

 _Aurore pretty much hit the superpower jackpot, so why wouldn't she embrace it?_

 _Miraculous (C) ZAG_


	4. A Bee in Torment

Chloé sat at her desk in utter boredom. Ms. Bustier was being especially talkative today. She looked around. The other students seemed to be silent... too much so. None of the usual whispers or tapping of phones from beneath desks, just dead silence. Even Sabrina was totally mute. It was so quiet that it was driving her crazy.

"Chloé Bourgeois," the teacher suddenly declared. "Could you come up to the board, please?" Chloé nodded and got up. "Solve the problem." Ms. Bustier demanded as she handed Chloé some chalk. The blonde looked up at the complex math problem and gulped.

 _"Attention all students and faculty! Incoming Akuma! They're not here for the lunch menu, unless they're one of the students, in which case I can't blame them for attacking."_

With all the Akuma that attacked Collège François Dupont on a regular basis, it got to the point where the school started introducing a new safety drill for when they occured. The drill was simple: keep calm, lock the rooms, and take cover. Ladybug usually never took very long to show up, so it was all a matter of waiting until the all-clear was sounded. The automated window-blinds rolled down and the lights went off in an effort to fool the Akuma into thinking there was nobody inside. All it did was cloak the entire room in total darkness.

Chloé felt a shiver run down her spine. The room wasn't supposed to be this dark, even in lockdown. "Ms. Bustier?" she called out. No response. "Hello?"

The emergency lights came on, and the sound of wicked, mocking laughter echoed from the desks. Chloé turned to see the source of the noise and gasped. Instead of normal teenagers, she saw masked-and-costumed Akuma in all shapes and sizes. All of them she recognized as the transformed students of Ms. Bustier's class, and many of them indirectly created by Chloé's own arrogance and selfishness. Only Marinette and Adrien were still normal, but they seemed completely oblivious to everything. In fact, they were frozen in place with Lady Wi-Fi's phone-pauses.

"You know, Chloé, we've got you to thank for all of this," Timebreaker began as she rollerbladed up and down the aisle. "If it weren't for you, many of us wouldn't have gotten a chance to be so much better than we were."

"You thank me for turning you into monsters?!" Chloé spat back.

Gamer sat on top of his pyramid-robot as it hovered near the ceiling. "It takes a monster like you to make one, and you've made many monsters."

Dark Cupid flew up to meet him. "You're one to talk. Marinette created you, not Chloé."

"We're still comrades-in-arms, bound together by common enemies," Bubbler intervened as he and the bubble he sat on lazily drifted by. "So what as to who made who?"

"At least we're not hiding who we really are anymore, unlike you, Chloé," Reflekta spat as she and Princess Fragrance sat intimately close to each other. They looked like they would make out right then and there with how touchy-feely they were getting.

"Love conquers all," Fragrance added, "except in your case. Little miss self-denial, unable to see that NOBODY loves you and wishes you would just drop dead."

Not able to take it anymore, Chloé ran for the door, but locks and chains suddenly appeared on it to prevent her from leaving. Nearby, Evillustrator shot her a cold glare as he continued doodling on his tablet. Before she knew it, Chloé felt herself getting picked up by... nothing? No, not nothing. "Sabrina! You too?!" she cried at her invisible attacker, yet Vanisher remained silent as she threw Chloé to the ground.

"You can't escape what you created..." came a frighteningly-familiar voice from above Chloé. She pushed herself back up and nearly choked as she saw not Ms. Bustier but herself staring back, now wearing a distinctive black suit and mask with red spots all over it. "Not even me."

Chloé put on her best arrogant scowl upon seeing her own inner Akuma taunting her. "I am not you!"

"There you go again, denying the truth," Antibug arrogantly shot back, her own scowl quickly making Chloé's vanish with a whimper. "You think just because you're a Miracle now, they're all going to love you like they do Ladybug? HAH! Utterly ridiculous! You're a third-rate knockoff of her and everybody knows it."

"So what does that make you?"

"A vision of what you could be. Not just equal to Ladybug, but superior. If anything, you should be the one wearing the spots, not that little twerp." Like a circling shark, Antibug paced around Chloé as she prattled on. "Just let me come back and together, we'll squash that goody-good beetle. And then you can take those earrings and be the one true Miraculous Ladybug. Hawk Moth doesn't deserve them."

"I... I can't..." shakily replied Chloé. "I don't want to... kill her. She's my idol, my inspiration... my fr... fri..."

"She's holding you back. Making you weak. Ladybug, Chat Noir, Hawk Moth, all of them. The real Chloé Bourgeois would never let herself be treated like this." The doppelganger leaned in close to whisper. "You could take all their powers. You could become even more powerful than a goddess. Everybody would have no choice but to love you. Everybody here would have no choice but to obey you."

"But it... it's not..." Chloé had a hard time saying what she intended to say, as deep down, she knew Antibug was right. She was all of Chloé's trademark vices manifested as an Akuma: her wrath, her envy, her pride. Why wouldn't she be right? "It's not what I want," she emptily spoke.

"Grab her." Stoneheart and Horrificator grabbed Chloé by her limbs to restrain her as Antibug raised her hand. "Anti-Charm!" With a burst of magic, a giant sword appeared in her hand. "You know this is what you really want, and the more you keep denying it, the more you hurt yourself. Like right now, for example." She raised the sword high above Chloé's head as the other Akuma cheered and hooted, eager to watch the impending execution of the one person they both loved and hated most. As the sword fell, Chloé screamed...

* * *

Chloé screamed as she rolled right out of her bed and onto the floor. With a moan, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the small yellow bee-like creature staring back with deep black-and-blue eyes. "Chloé, are you okay?" it asked.

The blonde girl moaned. She was in her personal suite at the Grand Paris, not the classroom. There were no Akuma here, and especially no Antibug, just Pollen whom Chloé was watching over for the night after an Akuma battle that ran too late. With a deep breath, Chloé answered, "I had... a bad dream..."

"Again? The same one?" Chloé nodded. "You... want to describe it, perhaps?"

Chloé crossed her arms in her trademark defiance. "It's none of your business. Now leave me alone," she griped. "I still need to take you back to Ladybug in the morning."

"If you wish," the Kwami replied, "but if I may speak my mind, the more you hold your emotions in, the more they're going to hurt you." Submissively loyal as she was to her master, Pollen still tried to show wisdom where she could.

 _But Hawk Moth can't get me again if I don't show emotion,_ she told herself. _And I don't ever want... HER to come back. Ladybug would never forgive me if I did._ With a snort, Chloé pulled the covers over her and tried to go back to sleep, but found herself unable to drift off again. "Pollen..." she meekly whimpered. The tiny Kwami paused. Chloé never usually sounded this vulnerable, so it was very serious whenever she did. "Could you let me... cuddle you?"

Pollen smiled. "I would like that, my queen."

A few minutes later, the two of them were asleep in the bed, with Chloé's arm around Pollen like it was her teddy bear. It brought a warm, content feeling to Chloé, and she liked this feeling. It was the kind of contentment she couldn't get from buying or bullying. The rest of her night went without any dreams, but the nightmare would linger on.

And until Chloé Bourgeois confronted the darkness in her own heart, it would only fester like an open wound until it consumed her.

* * *

 _Something that I personally hope gets touched on in later seasons is Chloé's Antibug persona compared to Queen Bee and how she sees both of them, and so this came about._

 _Miraculous (C) ZAG_


	5. Monster

Mylène kept her head low as she wandered through her home neighborhood, trying not to look up at the various costumed trick-or-treaters going around. She never did like that weird American holiday Halloween. All those people running around in the dark with scary costumes, often picking on some of the more timid people like herself... it made her wish that France adopted a nicer holiday.

She couldn't help but be on edge. All she ever wanted was to be brave and confident like so many of her friends, but Mylène Haprèle was simply too nice and too easily spooked. It didn't help that every day was now something out of a horror movie, with people transforming before their eyes and attacking everything they see. It was enough to fill anybody with dread... especially her, as she too was one of them. Everybody in her homeroom was at this point. First it was Ivan, of all people. The big softy's frustrations at not being able to tell Mylène how he felt for her made him into Hawk Moth's rock-skinned first victim. Then came Nino, turning into some weird multi-colored party-animal with a bubble fetish. And then came herself, ironically turning into a terrifying beast that inflicted fear instead of being controlled by it.

It made her wonder what it was about Miss Bustier's class that lured the butterflies in so well? Not just the class, either. Her father had a monster problem of his own to deal with, and so did Sabrina's father and Alya's father and Alix's brother. At this point, she was convinced that anybody who knew them were cursed to be monsters. She didn't want to be a monster. She wanted to be a carefree, happy girl who wasn't so controlled by her fear all the time.

"BLOOOOGAH!" A trio of teenage boys jumped out from the corner wearing horrible goblin masks, and the sudden shock made Mylène scream intensely. Grasping her chest as they laughed at her misfortune, she could almost feel a heart attack coming on... but then she realized that this pain was not her heart. It was happening again! Looking around for anyplace where she could be alone, Mylène staggered into an alley and tried to regain her composure.

"No, no, no, no!" Mylène panicked as she felt the darkness in her start to take hold. If Ivan was around, he would usually help get Mylène to relax again, but he wasn't here and so she resorted to the only other option she had. "Smelly Wolf... Smelly Wolf..." she sang in hopes of calming herself down, but the feeling was intensifying and she doubled over in pain. Not physical pain, but more like something in her very soul was being torn up. "Smelly... WooooolllFFFRRRAGH!" The last thing she saw before darkness overtook her vision was her face's reflection on a broken window. A broken girl.

* * *

Her eyes shot open, all three of them, and she looked around. Flexing her limbs and tail, grinding her teeth, Mylène realized it had happened again. Part of her did enjoy being like this, but she knew it was all part of Hawk Moth's manipulations. It does him no good if his Akuma don't like what they've become, so he tweaks their emotions to feel more euphoric when they transform. All Mylène knew was that the sooner she got those Miraculouses for him, the sooner she got rid of this curse.

The sound of screaming came from nearby! She turned to see the same boys who had attacked her fleeing from a giant. Then they looked up at her and stood frozen. Grinning, Mylène gave off a mighty roar at them, enjoying her chance to turn the tables on her attackers. The panic and screaming that resulted gave her newfound confidence, and she could feel her body expanding with even more strength and size as they fled into the night.

The giant then walked forward towards her, and she could now see exactly who he was. Grey skin of rock, literally-chiseled jaw... Mylène bowed her head upon recognizing Ivan Bruel. _He must have seen those kids attacking me and lost his temper._ Everybody in the class had their triggers, the things that hit their emotions just right and drove them to relapse. Just as Mylène's trigger was succumbing to her fear, Ivan's trigger was seeing Mylène being hurt. And now there were two large Akuma standing in their place. They didn't really say anything, but somehow the sadness for their predicament shone through their eyes. They knew there was only one way out of the mess they were in.

And so Stoneheart and Horrificator marched off into the night, seeking out Ladybug. It was time to spread some real fear.

* * *

 _Yes, I saw the Season 2 stuff, so don't ask. How it will influence my writing remains to be seen._

 _Miraculous (c) ZAG_


	6. The Struggling Artist

A sunny day in Paris. People walking, cars moving, birds chirping. _It's a fine day for some art,_ thought Nathaniel Kurtzburg, otherwise known to Paris as "Evillustrator" much to his continued annoyance. He hated that name. It was cheesy, lame, and very insulting. Sure, he was placed into the role of villain, but that didn't mean he had to be labeled as such. So in his mind if nowhere else, he went simply as Illustrator.

The day had begun so well. Nathaniel had finally finished his art school application essay and was going to have it submitted during the lunch break while the school recruiter was visiting. He was distracted by a discussion Juleka and Rose were having when someone broke into his locker, stole the essay, and fed it to a paper shredder. With nothing to show the recruiter before the deadline ended, Nathaniel was so furious that he re-akumatized with the intent to rewrite his essay... on Chloé... by literally throwing whole paragraphs of text on her head as she screamed that she didn't do anything to his essay at all. Like any of her lame excuses mattered at this point. Everybody knew that Chloé was to blame for everything that happened, up to and including akumatizations. Regardless, Ladybug cut in as always and bailed Chloé out while he retreated. She would catch up to him for Round 2 eventually, but until then, he was free to his thoughts.

Right now, he was just lazing about on the crossbeams of a building construction site, randomly doodling whatever came into his head. His hand was like a blur as he completed his sketch of Ladybug in seconds. Next to him, the same sketch glowed into existence and struck a few heroic poses. He then used his copy-and-paste tool to add several more "Doodlebugs" next to it and smiled, and then that smile faded when he remembered that as much as he loved her for being such a hero and inspiration, she was still the enemy. He wished it didn't have to be this way, but he made the deal and now he was stuck until the terms of the deal were done.

However, Nathaniel had a bit of a reputation among the Akuma as being the first to openly defy Hawk Moth, owing to how had originally conceived Illustrator as his superhero fantasy, a way to be courageous and helpful to others using his natural artistic talents. Impressing the girls at school, like Marinette, was an added bonus. Hawk Moth twisted his dream into a nightmare and continued to do so, but Nathaniel tried to stay true to his heroic motivations as best he could, such as last week when a Metro bus was careening out of control and nearly hit some pedestrians. Having had the "fortune" to be akumatized that day, he was quick to react. He used his pen and tablet to draw a fishing net in the path of the bus and catch it in time, saving both the riders and the walkers. Everybody assumed it was Ladybug using her Lucky Charm power, of course, but it didn't really bother Nathaniel. He was used to having his talents go unrecognized.

Hawk Moth would yell at him, threaten him, at times even use his powers to inflict the mental equivalent of nails on a chalkboard on him, yet he didn't care. It was the little things he cherished. Just having the chance to make a difference in his own small way was enough, and Nathaniel was confident that someday, he wouldn't have to hide being a hero anymore. Part of him wondered if he could get a Miraculous of his own, but the truth was that if he had a choice, he would much rather stay as Illustrator. It just felt the most natural for him. And if Juleka and Rose could be so comfortable with their transformations, so could he. Maybe the three of them could form their own little team of morally-grey Akuma heroes. He would have to speak with them about it sometime.

The sound of a yo-yo being thrown in the distance made Illustrator turn his head, as well as buzzing. Instead of Chat Noir as expected, it was Queen Bee... Chloé swinging at Ladybug's side. It still made him and his classmates a bit mad that she of all people got to be Ladybug's part-time partner. She looked guilty about something, but it didn't matter why at this point. It was time to fight.

Ladybug was the first to speak. "Evillustrator."

"Don't call me that!" he spat at the Miracles. "I don't want to be fighting you girls, because you know he'll want me to erase you and take your Miraculous." Hawk Moth prioritized the Ladybug and Black Cat as always, but he didn't want other Miracles getting in the way of his plans and so his orders extended to them as well.

"I know you're angry and Chloé deserves a lot, but hurting her won't solve anything, tempting as it seems sometimes," Ladybug calmly explained. "And I know you won't erase us. You have too much respect for us... well, for me at least."

Queen Bee shot Ladybug an icy glare. "Simply couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Illustrator nodded and turned to his Doodlebugs. "Nothing personal, girls." The living art charged forward and began to fight the two Miracles. It wasn't an especially-hard fight as the doodles quickly faded when struck, but Illustrator was using the copy-and-paste tool on his tablet to summon more Doodlebugs as fast as the girls could beat them. Attrition quickly began to set in, and soon Ladybug and Bee were finding themselves on the losing end of the battle.

"Alright, I'm getting worn out here," Bee gasped as she slinged her trompo across the ground to knock out more Doodlebugs. "Any ideas?"

"Lucky Charm!" With a throw of her yo-yo, Ladybug summoned a parachute and tossed it to Queen Bee. "Block his light! His tablet can't function in darkness!"

"Way ahead of you." Bee darted forward and tied the parachute to Illustrator, then pulled the cord. The red spotted fabric billowed out behind him and covered him completely in its shadow. With no light for his tablet to stay charged, the Doodlebugs started to flicker out of sight, giving Ladybug a clear approach to grab Illustrator's pen and break it. The butterfly was quickly purified and a Miraculous Restoration swept through as always to fix the collateral damage

The defeated Akuma laid there on the ground in shame, more for his earlier anger than for losing the fight. "I just want to be a hero like you, Ladybug," Nathaniel moaned as his transformation faded and he returned to normal. "Some hero I am, huh?"

"You already are for proving that the Akuma are not Hawk Moth's slaves," Ladybug said in encouragement. "I know it's hard to control yourself when it happens, but the fact that you're trying to use your power for good gives others hope. And you need to stick with that if we're ever going to beat him." This managed to bring a small smile to Nathaniel's face.

Queen Bee went to help Nathaniel up to his feet. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't destroy your essay. I was outside having an argument with Marinette when it happened," she explained. There was almost a twinge of remorse in Bee's voice.

"I know you did it!" Ladybug's stern expression made it clear that she was not lying. "But if not her, then who else could it be?" The two Miracles had some suspicion as to who, but kept quiet about it.

* * *

From her vantage point three blocks away, Lila flashed a sadistic grin as she watched the battle come to its end. Even without being in one of her Akuma alter-egos like Volpina or Chameleon, she still loved making people miserable in a way that both she and Hawk Moth could benefit from. It was worth it to see that tomato turn red and then purple in anger as all his hopes and dreams got literally shredded before his eyes. It helped remind him who was in charge of his life now, and playing him against Chloé only served to further raise dissent towards the self-proclaimed Princess of Paris. _By semester's end, she'll be so loathed that not even a leper will tolerate her,_ she thought to herself, a _nd after her perfect little world comes crashing down, I'll be there to take it off her hands._

Her job done for the day, Lila turned to make herself scarce. _As to Ladybug, she'll get hers soon. I still have a LOT to settle with her._

* * *

 _In response to Ivystar's guest review: I can't say for sure if my story will play the angle you suggest. However, if Nath here can partially overcome Hawk Moth's control in canon, there's hope for all of them yet._

 _Miraculous (c) ZAG_


	7. Newswoman

News reporter, TV host, single mother of one, Nadja Chamack was a career woman through and through. She could go from covering the latest Akuma attack to taking her daughter Manon out for ice cream without even so much as messing up a hair on her perfectly-arranged head. And in her current line of work, being able to keep a calm head on one's shoulders was imperative.

She still remembered the day when Stoneheart first appeared. Nadja and her crew were scheduled to run some sappy fluff piece on a local bakery when their car nearly got smashed by a thrown lamppost. Knowing a story when she saw one, she quickly got her crew in place and managed to successfully ad-lib a live report in the face of a disaster unlike anything seen before. Since then, Nadja had become the go-to girl for covering the antics of whatever new supervillain Hawk Moth could create, and she still managed to find time to cover other personal-interest topics, from Gabriel Agreste's latest Fall collection to the local gossip about Paris's favorite pair of superheroes. In her mind, it was the right of the public to know what was going on, regardless of how confidential the knowledge actually was. Unsurprisingly, this tended to get her in trouble when she pried too deeply into personal affairs, but it never stopped Nadja for long. _Don't be bemused, it's just the news,_ she told herself and Paris time and again. Reporting the news meant remaining fair and unbiased. She was above letting her emotions get in the way of her job... until the day when it happened to her out of frustration and fear for losing ratings.

Now, Nadja was currently recovering from her most recent escapade as "Audimatrix", in which she took over the TVi building out of anger that the station manager had denied her requests for a promotion after everything she did for the network. She hadn't yet fully recovered and her memories of the incident were still a blur, but as she sat there in the kitchen at 2 in the morning, she wondered if... _when_ it was going to happen to her again. Nadja looked down to where her smartwatch rested on the table. No matter how many times it was destroyed in her fights with Ladybug and the butterfly released, it somehow always came back as if it never got broken at all. Even now she could still feel a light trace of unnatural energy inside it, resonating with that inside her. This power wasn't completely gone, and part of her didn't want it gone, either.

The beauty of the Information Age was that everything was connected: smartphones, TV, computers, and so on. As Audimatrix, media was her weapon, something that her predecessor Lady Wi-Fi failed to take full advantage of. In a place like the TVi building, she could control all the information that Paris got, made them see and read what she wanted and spin it in ways that even they couldn't help but agree with. And the more people watched, the stronger she got, so she would continue to push the envelope more and more. To Audimatrix, there was no such thing as "journalistic integrity". She was the worst parts of Nadja's personality given life, and the worst part was that she _liked_ it. Just letting all her professionalism fade and acting completely on impulse... it was so liberating.

Her thoughts were then interrupted by a young voice. "Mommy?" Nadja looked up to see Manon in her pajamas standing there in the kitchen, her tiny face covered in sweat and tears. The babysitter Alya told Nadja that Manon had been asleep through the entire incident, so she thankfully did not have to see her own mother lose her mind on national television.

"Manon, dear, it's 2 in the morning. Why are you up?"

"I... I had a bad dream again."

Nadja sighed and helped Manon onto her lap. "Now, now, Manon, it's okay," she consoled. "You're not a mean princess. You know that." This was the other point of contention that Nadja had towards Hawk Moth: her daughter having also caught the literal bug going around. She wouldn't let Manon touch her dolls and especially her princess wand for weeks on end afterwards, fearing she might turn back into that crazed Puppeteer. Nadja eventually relented on Alya's insistence that it wasn't fair to punish Manon for what she did, that she was a child who didn't know any better and got exploited. It still didn't stop the bad dreams she would occasionally wake up crying from. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a dream."

"But this one was different. _You_ were the one who was mean and hurting people. You were going to hurt Ladybug and Chat Noir and... and..." She looked up at Nadja with those wide pleading eyes. "It... it was a dream, was it?"

Nadja was quiet as she mulled over Manon's words. "I don't know anymore," she finally said, "but I swear nothing's going to hurt you... not even a butterfly."

"What if you get hurt, though?" Manon hugged her mother as if her life depended on it. "You're my mommy. I need to protect you, too." Nadja nodded and hugged her back.

As they shared their hug, an odd feeling not unlike that felt when akumatizing stirred in them, but this was different. It actually felt pleasant, free of the anger and hate that Hawk Moth's influence instilled in his victims. Then the phone rang and Nadja was forced to break the hug to answer. The feeling vanished back into the darkened recesses of their emotions, but it still remained, yearning for more of that positive emotional strength.

* * *

 _My first official Season 2 Akuma tale. And I'm sticking with the French name for this one._

 _Miraculous (c) ZAG_


	8. What More?

It was the day after what Paris was calling one of the worst Akuma attacks of the year. Thanks to Hawk Moth akumatizing Max's tiny robot helper Markov, the entire city had gone into an uproar over all the machines and technology turning against them. Even though the Miraculous Restoration undid the physical damage, the mental scars still remained. So after class, Marinette decided to help console the one who had gotten the worst of it. "Hey, Max. You okay?" she called out as she entered the library, where Max sat quietly in front of his laptop.

"Oh, hey, Marinette," Max replied. "I'm fine. Markov, though... he's at home for now. Poor little guy's still acting a bit buggy. I've been trying to get into his systems so I can run a de-fragmentation, but he panics whenever I try. Says he's afraid he won't wake up again if I do."

"A robot acting afraid?" Marinette had to chuckle a bit at the thought of a robot having any emotions to akumatize, but her face was still one of concern. "Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you about. Exactly how did you make him, anyway?" she asked. "I can understand a simple phone-app or a CGI rig, but a robot like this is a little beyond your level. Grown adults with engineering degrees can't even achieve what you did. It's probably why Mendeleiev was freaking out over him."

The young boy paused to think. "It's weird, but it just came to me one day. I think it was about a month after the video game tournament when odd thoughts and ideas got into my head," Max explained. "It was like I simply knew more about programming than I ever thought possible, so I started putting my thoughts into practice and before I knew it, I had created a rudimentary A.I., and then it developed further and I built a working chassis and-"

Marinette had to cut him off, knowing that Max could go on all day when excited. "Whoa, slow down a bit, Max," she said. "You said this happened after the video game tournament?"

"Yeah."

"You... remember what happened that day?"

"I remember you beating me to take the top spot and me being angry. Past that, things get fuzzy. But I see bits and pieces flash through my memory every now and then, and I see me piloting a giant robot and fighting Ladybug in the stadium, and then I see this on the Ladyblog." Max brought up the Internet browser and clicked a bookmarked link, showing Marinette a photo of the incident in question. "Tell me... am I crazy?"

Marinette forced a smile. "No more than the rest of the class." She put a consoling hand on Max's shoulder. "It's okay, Max. You were a victim, nothing more."

Max pushed her hand off of him. " _'Victim'_ would imply that I had no choice in the matter. I remember enough to know that I chose to be turned into... that person. Then I hear about how some of the other people in our school are transforming, a few even _wanting_ it." He looked up to his friend. "What's happening to us, Marinette? Ever since Hawk Moth and Ladybug came, everybody in Paris has been losing their minds and it's only getting worse."

"You have to have faith, Max. Ladybug and Chat Noir will stop Hawk Moth eventually."

"I'm not so sure anymore. It seems like they aren't really doing anything except cleaning up after his messes." With a sigh, Max closed his laptop and got up. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Take care, Marinette."

As she watched Max leave, Marinette simply stood there mulling over his words. "Marinette?" Tikki piped in from her purse. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just... concerned." She went over to a secluded corner and sat down, giving her and Tikki some privacy. "He's right, you know," she explained. "All the Akuma stopped, all the disasters averted, and we're still no closer to finding Hawk Moth than we were when this whole mess began. And when I thought it was Adrien's dad... I mean, Mr. Agreste, he turns out to be as innocent as everyone else who got akumatized."

"Still... I don't fully trust the man." The red Kwami scowled at the thought of the imposing fashionista. "Why would he have the book in the first place?"

"Beats me." Taking a cookie and breaking half off for Tikki, Marinette nibbled at it quietly. "But if Max was able to remember enough about being Gamer that he could create Markov, then there's no telling what else the other ex-Akuma remember. What they could be capable of."

"The human memory is resilient," Tikki explained. "Sometimes, as much as you want to repress bad memories, they inevitably resurface."

Marinette sighed. "It's just... I'm purifying the butterflies, I'm fixing the damage, but it's not enough. Until Hawk Moth is captured, it's just going to go on and on and on... so what more can I do?"

Tikki bowed her head sadly. "I wish I knew." Neither of them able to find an answer, Marinette and Tikki simply sat and ate their cookies in silence.

* * *

 _Miraculous (c) ZAG_


	9. The Magician

"Well, well, look who finally got her head out of the clouds," snapped Ms. Mendeleiev. "I hope your recent trip to the guidance counselor did you some good, because turning into a power-mad supervillain is no excuse for skipping my classes. Now sit down and let's resume the lesson." Ignoring the glares from her classmates, Aurore sat down and stuck her face into her textbook, trying not to make eye contact with anybody.

"Rough time, I take it?" A voice spoke from nearby. "Ladybug?" Aurore snorted in anger at the dark-haired boy who was speaking to her. "I know... she's one heck of a girl. No matter how powerful one gets, she always manages to turn the tables."

"And what would you know about power?"

"A few things."

Aurore turned to look at him. "I think I know you," she admitted. "You were that magician fellow, right?"

The boy blushed a bit. "I was. Once. It's... not a big story, to be honest."

* * *

 _"... and we can expect further showers until the afternoon when clear skies finally show. Stay bundled, though, as it won't be warming up anytime soon. And in other news, Prince Ali Ababwa of the Kingdom of Achu has just touched down in Charles de Gaulle Airport to personally offer his family's annual donation to the children's hospital toy drive. Though we were unable to speak with the prince, Mayor Bourgeois has assured us that he has spared no expense to ensure that, in his words, 'the prince will live like a king' during his stay."_

Jean Duparc wasn't paying attention to the small TV in the corner of the dressing room behind the auditorium. All his focus was towards the mirror as he fixed his top hat and sleeves, making sure all the little pull-triggers were in place. This was it, his big chance! No longer would he be just another faceless body in the background. Today, he would prove to Collège François Dupont that he was a character during their big talent show. Sticking his "lucky" Ace of Spades from his deck of cards in the brim of his hat, Jean took a deep breath and stepped out on stage to begin his act.

* * *

His performance could not have gone worse. His hat wouldn't reveal the spring-loaded flowers inside, his trick-handkerchief was tied too tight and tore off the sleeve of his coat, and now his attempt to do the 'pick a card' trick was failing miserably. "No, wait! It's the 7 of Hearts, right?" Jean stammered as her pulled one card after another. "The 7 of Clubs? Jack of Clubs? Jack in the box?"

Alix scowled and slapped the card on Jean's forehead, its cheap plastic coating adhering to the sweat on his brow. "It was the Joker, you joke." With a grunt, she turned and left the auditorium where the steadily-dwindling audience watched in boredom. Chloé and Sabrina were the only ones enjoying the show, as they were laughing and heckling Jean throughout his entire act.

"I take it back. This is the most fun I've ever had at these things," Chloé howled in cruel delight. "Needs more audience participation, though. Sabrina?" The redhead passed Chloé a carton of eggs and the two opened fire.

* * *

Jean collapsed backstage, his act and his confidence both in shambles as egg dripped all over him. Not even his lucky Ace seemed to have helped. It did, however, get the attention of a distinctive black butterfly as it flew into the card and merged with it. Now bonded, Jean shot up in shock as the images in his mind seemed to swirl like a scrambled television before finally focusing on a dark room. A tall man wearing what looked like a silver cowl over his head glared at him as if he was in the same room, except there was nobody near Jean at all.

 _"Hello, my young friend. It pains me to see your talents go unappreciated. Perhaps with my help, you can show these ungrateful whelps what REAL magic is... for a small price, of course."_ The images of a distinctive ring and earrings flashed through his head. _"Do we have a deal?"_

Who was Jean to refuse? He was utterly demoralized and humiliated beyond anything he had ever known, too weak and desperate to even comprehend that this man was the villain that had been terrorizing Paris since the school year started. "Yes." The next thing he saw was black clouds swirling around him, blurring his vision.

 _"Then become my Magician of Misfortune and make Ladybug and Chat Noir disappear."_

* * *

When Jean came back out, Chloé and Sabrina quickly found that it wasn't for an encore performance. "Pick a card!" The razor-sharp playing cards flew through the air, slicing everything in their path. The remaining audience members fled every which way to dodge as Ladybug and Chat Noir batted the shots away (how they were so quick to arrive, nobody knew).

As Chloé tried to dodge and weave towards the exit, one of the cards sliced through her ponytail. "My hair! He cut my perfect hair!" she shrieked upon realizing that she had gotten an involuntary bob-cut. Chloé turned around with the intent to charge the stage. "Lemme at him! LEMME AT HIM!"

Ladybug's yo-yo yanked Chloé backwards. "It'll grow back. Your head won't!" she explained. Not willing to argue with her idol, Chloé turned to leave, pausing to shoot the Magician a glare.

"You make sure he suffers, Ladybug!" she demanded. "I swear, if I had my own Miraculous thingy, he would PAY for this!"

Chat snorted in disbelief as she ran off. "Chloé getting a Miraculous... that'll be the day."

"We'll discuss that another time." Ladybug turned to face the Magician. "As for you, Jean, we don't want to be hurting you more than needed, so surrender now."

"No Miraculouses, no deal," the Magician said with a laugh as Chat leaped towards the stage. Before his staff could connect, his opponent dramatically swept his cape in front of them and vanished into thin air.

* * *

Flying over the Paris streets as the rain steadily came down, the Magician pondered his next move. "Card tricks are cute and all, but I need something big. Something that'll really prove I'm the greatest magician ever. Something that those meddling Miracles will come running for." The sight of quite possibly the most famous landmark in the world caught his eye and he smiled. "I've got it!"

Within minutes, he had captured several pedestrians and locked them in body-chests below the neck so that they could watch. "Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen of Paris!" he announced. "Now, before your very eyes, I, the Magician of Misfortune, am going to perform the most incredible vanishing act in the history of the entire city. I am going to make the Eiffel Tower... DISAPPEAR!"

It didn't take long for Ladybug and Chat to track him down, as TVi was already on the scene and reporting live (from a safe distance). "You ever notice how so many of our fights happen around the tower?" Ladybug asked.

"I suppose... though it does offer the perfect venue for us to have a victory kiss." Chat shot her a sly grin.

"Not now, hairball." Unimpressed with her partner's charms, she landed in front of the Magician. "Alright, Jean. I know you really don't want to be doing this, so for the last time, please just release your butterfly and save us all a lot of grief."

"What she said," Chat added.

The Magician reached into his sleeve and pulled a handkerchief, namely one of those trick-handkerchiefs that just kept coming out. Using it like a whip, he lassoed Chat around the waist and threw him aside, then took a second toss at Ladybug. She leaped out of the way and landed on a support beam. While she reoriented, Chat went on the offensive with his staff. The Magician countered with his cane, sparking a heated stick-duel between them.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw her yo-yo up high. When it came down, it had transformed into a stick of chewing gum. This was always the tricky part, as while her powers always seemed to know exactly what item was needed to win the fight, she herself had to figure out how to use it. From what she could gather, something on Jean's person had to be pulled off. "But what?" she asked as she examined him closely. "The top hat? Nah, too obvious. His cane... he doesn't seem too concerned about protecting it, so it can't be that." She then saw something in the brim of his hat. "Of course! His lucky Ace!"

"Any day now, m'lady," Chat called out as the Magician popped a sword out from his other sleeve, trying to slice him in two. "A cat divided between himself... well, you get the idea."

Ladybug unwrapped the gum and chewed it as fast as she could. "Mmm... cherry." Once it was done, she stuck the wad of gum on her yo-yo and slinged it at the Magician's hat. It caught the Ace perfectly. "Chat! Cut the card!" she called out as it came back to her hand.

"You've been waiting all day to say that, weren't you?" Ladybug threw it at Chat. "CATACLYSM!" A single slash of his charged claws and the card was vaporized, sending a confused Akuma butterfly fluttering away in an effort to escape.

"And now to make your evil disappear, Hawk Moth." With another swift throw of the yo-yo, the butterfly was captured and purified, and the added energy taken from its wings charged her up for the grand finale. "MIRACULOUS RESTORATION!" In a blur of red and black, the damaged auditorium, the chests that trapped the audience, and several of the other pedestrians that took a few hits in the crossfire were all restored good as new. Even Chloé's ponytail was restored, much to her relief (as it meant not having to wear her emergency bad-hair-day wig).

What followed next for Ladybug was helping Jean recover, dealing with the TVi people, and getting to a private spot before she timed out. To make a long and already-syndicated story short, though, her day wasn't quite over...

* * *

For the next week or so, Jean couldn't remember much of what had happened since the failed magic show, but it didn't take him long to understand that he had been akumatized like so many others. The news reports, the Ladyblog, the eyewitness accounts, all of it painted a very clear picture of what he had been doing. And bit by bit, he was able to recall all the events of his rampage. He never seemed to relapse like other Akuma would, though. Jean just didn't seem to find any reason to. As far as he was concerned, it happened and nobody cared enough to bring it up, so neither would he.

Until today, anyway. "Really?" Aurore quietly said as Jean finished his story. "Just making the tower disappear? Compared to me, that's not too impressive."

"Yeah, but I see you on TV and you're looking like a deranged lunatic. Is that what you want to be remembered as?"

Aurore thought to herself a bit, then frowned. "No..." she sadly remarked. "But what else can I do?"

"Maybe, I dunno... just try to show a little more respect to the lesser man when you're out and about. Don't just blast at them indiscriminately. You know what I mean?"

"Duparc! Beauréal!" Ms. Mendeleiev smacked her ruler to bring them at attention. The pair remained quiet afterwards, but Aurore couldn't help but look at Jean and ponder his words.

 _Maybe... I could at least TRY to not act so maniacal,_ she finally decided with a smirk. _Especially for someone as cute as him._ As she focused on her textbook, though, the thought of Ladybug still remained on her mind. _I'm still going to beat her someday, though. Not for Hawk Moth, but to show everybody why I'm a winner._

* * *

 _Miraculous (c) ZAG_


End file.
